Page 87 - MARCHANT-Kangxi-Famille-Verte-FINAL

三 十
30. Chinese porcelain famille verte large saucer dish with gently flared rim, painted with a scene from the novel Romance of the Sui and
Tang, with the Emperor Yang of Sui holding up his hands in exclamation, standing between two dignitaries on a fenced viewing
物 人 盤 圖 義 彩 五 隋 演 唐 terrace of his palace in front of a table with precious objects and wave screen, and beneath a striped roof with gilt corner roof
tile, while watching his concubines taking part in equestrian performances through a palace arch, a trellised arbour and a bridge
amongst pierced rockwork, wutong, pine, plantain and other plants, all encircled by a wide diaper band with reserves of the babao
each tied with an iron-red ribbon. The base with a gong mark within a double square and a double ring in underglaze blue.
16 ¼ inches, 41.3 cm diameter.
Kangxi, circa 1710.

• Formerly in the collection of Thomas Clarke of Farran, Ireland, thence by direct decent.
The Clarke family were tobacconists, first in Ireland and later in Liverpool. The Clarke business became part of the Imperial
Tobacco Company. Thomas Clarke moved to the Channel Islands in the early 1930’s and then to Devon to escape German
熙 康 清 Invasion. Before the war he had built up an extensive collection of famille verte, which he had to abandon when he left.
He decided to try and replicate his collection after the war for his new home in Devon. He later moved to Ireland and after his
wife died most of the collection was dispersed. This dish being one of only twelve pieces left in the collection after Thomas’s
death the pieces were divided between his nephew and nieces.
公 字 款 • Sold by Hancock, 37 Bury Street, St James’s, S.W.1.
• The scene is taken from a novel Romance of The Sui and Tang, written by the Qing Dynasty author Chu Renhuo (1635-1682).
The book fictionalises the historical events leading to the Sui Dynasty (581-618) and to the subsequent rise of the Tang
Dynasty (618-907).
Emperor Yang of Sui (r. 606-618) was known for many achievements, such as linking the Yellow River and the Yangzi River
with the man-made Grand Canal, leading successful military campaigns, expanding the Sui territory, and being accomplished
in arts. Despite those, Emperor Yang was also remembered for his decadent and debauched lifestyle. It is probable that this
scene depicts his palace in the West Park, outside Luoyang.
Thomas Clarke 先
生 藏 舊 This scene has been identified by Mr. Jeffrey Stamen, Cynthia Volk and Dr. Yibin Ni, and will be discussed in their
forthcoming book A Culture Revealed: Kangxi-Era Chinese Porcelain from the Jie Rui Tang Collection, 2017.
Previously this scene was often mistakenly attributed to the Yang Family Ladies of the Song Dynasty (960-1127). See no. 36
for a dish painted with the Yang Family women in which no men are present.
• The painting and enamelling of this large dish is extremely refined, the enamels have both a clarity of colour and translucency
that is already anticipating the Yongzheng palette. Each of the female equestrian riders have their hands in different positions
including the white horse where the lady actually holds the bridle, another unusual feature is the portrayal of a lady in perfect
profile and the hand positions of the gentlemen on the balcony are also noteworthy.

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